Diet Spotlight: The Dukan Diet

If you’re looking to trim the jiggle around your middle or reinvent your entire shape, you’re in luck!

To kick off the new year, we’ll be highlighting popular new diets all this month with the help of our Diet & Fitness Channel. We’ve broken them down by cost and convenience along with recommendations from our Lifescript nutrition experts, Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., L.D., and Judith Stern, Sc.D., M.S.

First up is the 2011 diet that caught fire with the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton…

Plan Basic:A decade ago, French neurologist and clinical nutritionist physician Pierre Dukan created this diet to treat obesity. Low in carbs, fat and salt, the Dukan Diet offers unlimited portions, but can be extremely restrictive in food choices. At times, you’ll eat nothing but proteins and oat bran – especially at the beginning and one day a week thereafter.

The plan was a hit in Europe before reaching America in 2011. It became even more popular after Kate Middleton’s mother said she used it to slim down for Kate’s wedding to Prince William. Jennifer Lopez also reportedly used it for post-baby weight loss.

How it Works: Protein is the centerpiece of this four-phase diet plan. So are oat bran, lots of water and a 20-minute daily walk.Phase 1 is restrictive: Eat all you the lean protein you want, along with 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and 1.5 liters of water daily.Phase 2 allows non-starchy vegetables every other day with unlimited lean/low-fat protein and 2 tablespoons of oat bran.Phase 3 allows unlimited protein and vegetables every day, plus one piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole-grain bread and 1 portion of hard cheese. Dieters can also have 1-2 servings of starchy foods and 1-2 eat-what-you-want meals per week.Phase 4 begins maintenance. Eat whatever you like as long as you don’t gain weight, but one day a week, you must follow the all-protein diet.

Pros:

You may lose some weight quickly.

Later phases of the plan are less restrictive.

Cons:

Because of its reliance on protein, you don’t get all necessary nutrients in the early phases.

Some experts claim the diet is unbalanced and potentially risky.

What our Nutritionist Says:
“You need a Ph.D. to understand all the phases and rules in this diet,” says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., L.D. “The rules are so complicated that it’s confusing to eat anything.”